Theme parks not liable for bumper car injuries

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The California Supreme Court has ruled that amusement parks are not financially responsible for injuries suffered on bumper cars or other thrill rides.

The state's high court on Monday ruled that people who ride in bumper cars automatically assume some risk — like those playing football or other sports — and therefore cannot sue after being injured.

The opinion reversed a state appeals court ruling in favor of the plaintiff, who had sued a Northern California amusement park after breaking her wrist while on the bumper cars.

Opinion author Associate Justice Kathryn Werdegar wrote that the act of riding a roller coaster or driving bumper cars carries a small degree of risk in exchange for the thrill of defying gravity or "engaging in the mock violence of low-speed collisions."